Shoring system components

ABSTRACT

A shoring system for building site excavating operations utilizing caisson holes drilled in spaced positions outside the building perimeter and receiving flanged pile elements with paired main piles disposed at regulated elevations and spacing and having vertically spaced support sockets adapted to receive fastener components for the support of horizontally disposed sheeting pieces that are placed progressively in inverted order to hold back loose materials as the foundation excavation is deepened. Intermediate pile elements are disposed between the main pile elements in aligned positions with respect thereto, and the flanges of such intermediate pile elements provide vertically elongated adjustment slots for the reception of a flange clamp receptacle that is adjustably positioned along the slot and held in such position by a spring clip. With such arrangement threaded or other fasteners to be received and held by the receptacles are extended through the slots provided by the main pile fastener components to hold the sheeting securely against the intermediate piles thereby providing additional shoring support. The flange clamp receptacles are in general disposed behind the flange of intermediate piles, and a shoulder or stop extends into such elongated slots to prevent rotary dislocations of the flange clamp receptacle.

United States Patent 1 1 Meredith June 11, 1974 SHORING SYSTEM COMPONENTS [76] Inventor: John A. Meredith, 945 S. Huron St,

Denver, Colo. 80223 [22 Filed: Mar. 19, 1973 [21 Appl.No.:342 ,570

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 155.928. June 23.

197i. Pat. N0. 3.728.862.

Primary Examiner-W. C. Reynolds Assistant Examiner-Philip C. Kannan Attorney, Agent, or Firm-C. B. Messenger [5?] ABSTRACT A shoring system for building site excavating operations utilizing caisson holes drilled in spaced positions outside the building perimeter and receiving flanged pile elements with paired main piles disposed at regulated elevations and spacing and having vertically spaced support sockets adapted to receive fastener components for the support of horizontally disposed sheeting pieces that are placed progressively in inverted order to hold back loose materials as the foundation excavation is deepened. Intermediate pile elements aredisposed between the main pile elements in aligned positions with respect thereto, and the flanges of such intermediate pile elements provide vertically elongated adjustment slots for the reception of a flange clamp receptacle that is adjustably positioned along the slot and held in such position by a spring clip. With such arrangement threaded or other fasteners to be received and held by the receptacles are extended through the slots provided by the main pile fastener components to hold the sheeting securely against the intermediate piles thereby providing additional shoring support. The flange clamp receptacles are in general disposed behind the flange of intermediate piles, and a shoulder or stop extends into such elongated slots to prevent rotary dislocations of the flange clamp receptacle.

.10 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures SHORING SYSTEM COMPONENTS CROSSREFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION The present application is a continuation-in-part of a prior application by the same inventor entitled Shor ing System and Components Therefor bearing Ser. No. 155,928, and now US. Pat. No. 3,728,862.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Where large buildings are to be erected at sites having a substantial layer of loose materials overlaying an adequate foundation support layer, it has always been advisable to excavate the loose materials to establish a foundation for the building. The space excavated is generally used for basement floors providing storage, utility or parking areas. Support columns for the building and exterior walls that are generally of concrete for permanently holding back the loose materials are raised to a ground level. From such ground level reinforced concrete or steel frame construction may be used. At sites where a substantial depth of loose material is encountered, the problem of holding back the loose materials or earth while foundations are placed is substantial. Previously, shoring systems have been used that require the expenditure of excessive hand labor. Even where machinery is used, as in the driving of continuous pile, the process is costly and time consuming. Usually most excavation operations are delayed until the full shoring system has been set. A faster, more economical, system is desirable.

The mentioned previous application shows a system and components for accomplishing the desired result. Most of the features of such earlier application are used in connection with the present components. Accordingly, theflange clamp receptacles and fasteners disclosed herein are presented as an improvement or substitute for the flange clamp systems disclosed in the earlier application.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION With full recognition of the problems and hazards involved in the use of present shoring systems, the present invention has developed a system that is readily adaptable for use when excavation operations are to be carried out at sites where the loose materials to be excavated might be twenty feet or more in depth. Use of the system involves the drilling of a plurality of caisson holes in aligned positions along the periphery of the building with the caisson holes being spaced one from the other. The caisson holes are drilled to a depth extending beneath the maximum depth to be excavated. Main pile elements having vertically spaced support sockets are disposed in paired holes placed apart one from the other a distance corresponding to the length of the sheeting elements to be used. The elevation of the support sockets on paired main pile elements is regulated so that when the sheeting members are later applied they will be disposed in near horizontal positions.

' The pile elements are installed and tamped earth or concrete footings are placed at the bottom of the caisson holes to hold the pile elements in place.

After a line of piles have been set, excavation processes can be initiated to uncover the support sockets on the paired main pile elements. As each support socket is uncovered, a fastener component may be applied, and thereafter a sheeting member is disposed on, the

fastener supports to be held in near horizontal position thereby. Since the fasteners extend beneath the sheeting members, a slot space will be preserved between adjacent sheeting members. Intermediate pile elements are disposed in spaced positions between the main pile elements with the flanges of all the pile elements being in aligned positions. When the sheeting members are applied to the main pile elements and are supported thereon, the inwardly disposed flange of the intermediate piles will in general be covered by the sheeting ele ments. The horizontal slots preserved between adjacent sheeting members by the inwardly extending fastener components expose a small portion of the intermediate pile flanges. In keeping with the present invention, vertically ex tended slots are provided in the inwardly disposed flange of the intermediate piles, and a portion of such vertically disposed flange slots will then be exposed by the horizontal sheeting spaces or slots. As excavation operations proceed and as additional sheeting members are applied in inverted order, flange clamp receptacles may be applied in the thus exposed slots of the interme' diate pile flanges. With the flange clamp receptacles in these exposed positions, intermediate fasteners can be applied through the horizontal sheeting spaces or slots to engage the flange clamp receptacles and to thereby secure the sheeting members to such intermediate piles. In general, the intermediate fasteners and flange clamp receptacles now provided and described herein are of more economical construction than those provided in the mentioned earlier application. Further, since the intermediate fasteners can be of identical construction with the fastener components used at the main piles, the number of different parts used on a job can be reduced.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is anelevation in partial section illustratin use of the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional elevation taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1 and showing an intermediate pile piece,

FIG. 3 is a front elevation of an intermediate pile with elongated slots through the flange shown in level positions,

FIG. 4 is a front elevation of an intermediate pile with the elongated slots through the flange shown in alternate positions of elevation, and

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional elevation taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 3 and showing features of a flange clamp receptacle in enlarged detail.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 illustrates a shoring system to be used when deep excavation are being made in loose soil in order to provide clearance for foundation and basement structures. The shoring system is used so that loose dirt can be held back and so that construction operations can be carried on in the excavated area. The system can be described as a step process. As a first operation, a plurality of caisson holes are drilled in aligned positions at locations that will be outside the finish line for any foundation or building components. The caissons are spaced apart a distance of 5 to 10 feet depending upon the length of sheeting members that are later to be used and the inherent stability or freestanding nature of the soil being excavated. The caisson holes are completed to a depth greater than the intended excava tion and H beam intermediate and main pile elements 12 and 14, respectively, are lowered in the separate holes. Thereafter tamped earth or a concrete footing I3 is placed in the bottom of the hole to securely hold the pile elements in place. Preferably, the vertical height of the main pile elements 14 is regulated, since the positioning of these piles will determine the horizontal organization of the sheeting members that are later applied.

As in the previous invention. a plurality of threaded receptacle support sockets or nuts 16 are welded to the inwardly disposed flanges of the main pile elements 14. These nuts are applied in evenly spaced positions along the outer terminal edges of the inwardly disposed flange for the main piles 14. In such position the nuts at each terminal edge for the flanges can provide a threaded receptacle adapted to receive main pile fastener components or bolts 18 that are threadedly engaged in said nuts. Since two nuts 16 are provided at each level, the ends of two separate sheeting pieces can be positioned thereon to extend in opposite directions to the next main pile element 14. Each sheeting piece 21 that is applied will extend past an intermediate pile or piles l2, and if proper alignment of all of the piles has been maintained, such sheeting pieces will be positioned against the inwardly disposed flange 17 of the intermediate piles 12. When at least two sheeting members have been applied one below the other in inverse stacked order, a horizontal slot or sheeting space 22 will be preserved between the adjacent sheeting members 21 by reason of the interposed positioning of the main pile fastener components 18.

In the previous embodiment of the invention, flange clamps having flange engaging notches were inserted through the sheeting spaces 22 to engage the flanges 17 of the intermediate piles 12. In accordance with the present invention the sheeting members 21 are fastened to the intermediate piles 12 by fasteners that can be quite similar to the fastener components 18 used at the main piles l4. Bolts similar or identical with the bolts 18 can be used at the intermediate piles if a threaded receptacle is provided for use at such intermediate piles.

Since a commonality of parts is advantageous, the present invention provides a combination of elements that may be used in place of the intermediate flange clamps. To accommodate the present system the inwardly disposed flanges 17 for the intermediate piles 12 are modified to provide a plurality ofvertically elongated slots 23 that pass through the flanges 17. These slots are of width adequate to pass the shank 24 of the intermediate fasteners 28 so that the threaded end 26 may be engaged to an internally threaded receptacle 27 or nut structure whereby the bolts 28 are tightened against washers 29 to hold the adjacent sheeting pieces 21 in place.

The construction for the threaded receptacle 27 is best shown in FIG. where a nut segment 31 is shown welded to a washer 32. The washer itself has a shoulder 33 disposed on its inner face for engagement in the flange slot 23. This engagement thereafter prevents rotation of the washer 32 and the nut component 31 so the fastener bolts 28 may be rotated without turning threaded receptacle 27. A spring clip 34 is provided on receptacle 27 so the receptacle is held on the flange 17.

The arms 36 and 37 of the spring clip 34 are initially ofa distance apart slightly less than the thickness ofthe flange 17. The receptacle 27 can be engaged in any of the separate elongated slots 23 by light hammer blows directed against the U section 38 of the spring clip 34. This operation tends to spread the legs 36 and 37 as the shoulder 33 is moved along the back surface of the flange 17 to its point of reception in the slot 23. The receptacles 27 will, of course, be applied only to the slots 23 which are in position of registration with respect to the spaces or gaps 22 between adjacent sheeting pieces 21. Ordinarily the slots 23 are spaced apart vertically in a regulated pattern with the distance between adjacent slots being commensurate with the vertical dimension of the sheeting pieces 21 that are to be used and the desired width for the gaps 22. Where 3 X 12 timbers are used as sheeting, the slots 23 will be spaced apart 12 to 14 inches. Since the slots 23 described and shown in FIG. 3 are themselves approximately five inches in length, the arrangement provides a considerable on-site adaptability which will facilitate the introduction and use of the receptacles 27 in combination with the fasteners 28 to provide intermediate support for the sheeting pieces 21.

Since it is difficult to regulate the vertical positioning of the intermediate piles, a separate slot dispersal pattern can be beneficially used. An alternate placement for the slots 23A is shown in FIG. 4. This spacing pattern can provide increased adaptability for intermediate piles, such as the illustrated pile 12A. Where the slots 23A are disposed at alternate elevations on opposite sides of the center web 39, at least one slot will usually be in an exposed position notwithstanding a failure to maintain regulated elevational placement of these intermediate piles 12A. Actually it is immaterial whether the intermediate flange clamps are applied through one side of the inwardly disposed flanges of the piles or the other.

Through use of the described components, a shoring system is provided that can be used efficiently to maintain surrounding ground structures in place so that excavations can proceed. Once a full depth of excavation has been attained and when foundation structures for the building have been completed, the shoring system inclusive of the components described can be disassembled. The lower sheeting pieces and the flange clamps provided for the support thereof will be removed first. The remaining elements will be removed in a bottom to top order as backfilling operations are completed. As described in the previous application, the main and intermediate piles can themselves be removed if desired.

1 claim:

l. A shoring system for excavation operations at building sites where loose materials may be encountered comprising flanged main and intermediate piles disposed in intermixed space separated and aligned positions about the periphery of a site to be excavated, main receptacles disposed at spaced vertical positions along paired main piles, sheeting support fasteners applied to the receptacles of paired main piles in top to bottom order providing inwardly standing supports, sheeting members placed on the standing support fasteners of said main piles for extension between main pile elements and past intermediate piles with said standing support fasteners preserving a slot opening between adjacent sheeting members, said intermediate ings between adjacent sheeting members, and auxiliary fasteners extending through said slot openings at the intermediate piles engagement with said flange clamp receptacles for the added support of said sheeting members.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said vertically elongated openings are spaced apart a vertical distance corresponding to the width of said sheeting members.

3. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said vertically elongated openings are provided in inwardly disposed flanges of said intermediate piles.

4. The system as set forth in claim 3 wherein said elongated openings are disposed in paired positions on opposite sides of the web of said intermediate piles.

5. The system as set forth in claim 4 wherein the said elongated openings at opposite sides of the pile web are at alternate elevations.

6. The system as set forth in claim 1 and further comprising a threaded element for said flange clamp receptacles adapted to receive and hold said auxiliary fasten ers.

7. The system as set forth in claim 6 wherein said threaded element is disposed at the rear of the flanges for said intermediate piles and further comprising a shoulder element extended into said elongated openings to prevent turning movement of said flange clamp receptacle.

8. The system as set forth in claim 7 and further comprising a spring clip engaging the flanges of said intermediate piles to hold the flange clamp receptacles in adjusted positions along said elongated openings.

9. The system as set forth in claim 7 wherein the main receptacles provided along said main piles are threaded and wherein both said sheeting support fasteners and auxiliary fasteners are threaded.

10. The system as set forth in claim 9 wherein said sheeting support fasteners and auxiliary fasteners may be used interchangeably. 

1. A shoring system for excavation operations at building sites where loose materials may be encountered comprising flanged main and intermediate piles disposed in intermixed space separated and aligned positions about the periphery of a site to be excavated, main receptacles disposed at spaced vertical positions along paired main piles, sheeting support fasteners applied to the receptacles of paired main piles in top to bottom order providing inwardly standing supports, sheeting members placed on the standing support fasteners of said main piles for extension between main pile elements and past intermediate piles with said standing support fasteners preserving a slot opening between adjacent sheeting members, said intermediate piles providing vertically elongated openings at spaced vertical positions, flange clamp receptacles adjustably received at said elongated openings for placement at positions of registration with respect to the slot openings between adjacent sheeting members, and auxiliary fasteners extending through said slot openings at the intermediate piles engagement with said flange clamp receptacles for the added support of said sheeting members.
 2. The system of claim 1 wherein said vertically elongated openings are spaced apart a vertical distance corresponding to the width of said sheeting members.
 3. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said vertically elongated openings are provided in inwardly disposed flanges of said intermediate piles.
 4. The system as set forth in claim 3 wherein said elongated openings are disposed in paired positions on opposite sides of the web of said intermediate piles.
 5. The system as set forth in claim 4 wherein the said elongated openings at opposite sides of the pile web are at alternate elevations.
 6. The system as set forth in claim 1 and further comprising a threaded element for said flange clamp receptacles adapted to receive and hold said auxiliary fasteners.
 7. The system as set forth in claim 6 wherein said threaded element is disposed at the rear of the flanges for said intermediate piles and further comprising a shoulder element extended into said elongated openings to prevent turning movement of said flange clamp receptacle.
 8. The system as set forth in claim 7 and further comprising a spring clip engaging the flanges of said intermediate piles to hold the flange clamp receptacles in adjusted positions along said elongated openings.
 9. The system as set forth in claim 7 wherein the main receptacles provided along said main piles are threaded and wherein both said sheeting support fasteners and auxiliary fasteners are threaded.
 10. The system as set forth in claim 9 wherein said sheeting support fasteners and auxiliary fasteners may be used interchangeably. 